A Leap of Faith
by Seito
Summary: "There is a method that can be really effective if you want to be a hero so much. Making a leap of faith from the roof… believe with all your might that you will have a quirk in the other world!" Sometimes Izuku can still hear Kaachan's words in the back of his head, in his dreams and nightmares.


For **iamthehelperdog**

If you're still doing the bnha fluff prompts, could I suggest one of the kids coming to All Might after a nightmare (kid of your choice, though bonus points if it's a more stoic kid like Tokoyami or Iida)

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" _There is a method that can be really effective if you want to be a hero so much. Making a leap of faith from the roof… believe with all your might that you will have a quirk in the other world!"_

Izuku snapped awake, hearing Kacchan's laugh ringing in his ears. Instantly he activated One for All, feeling the energy wrap around him, running up and down his legs and arms.

" _Making a leap of faith from the roof!"_

Izuku shuddered, hearing those words from the memory echo. He… Kacchan was his friend, but he was also a bully. Despite living his dream, being here in Yuuei, being a hero, having a quirk, Kacchan's voice continued to lurk in the back of his head. If it had been someone else who had told him… Izuku knew he was desperate enough back that he might have actually tried it.

He rubbed his head, trying to push the doubts away. It was so stupid to keep feeling like this. He had One for All to defend himself if it was necessary, but lately Kacchan had been calm and had been leaving him alone. Fear was not an easy thing to rest.

" _A leap of faith!"_

Izuku slipped out of bed, heading straight to the first floor where the kitchen was. His hand shook slightly as he reached for the bottle of milk to warm up. It had only been the second night since moving into the Yuuei dorms but already Izuku felt homesick for his mother.

"Midoriya my boy, what are you doing up?"

Izuku turned around to see All Might standing in the doorway. His red, white and blue sleeping cap with matching pajamas would have been a slightly comical sight under normal circumstances, but Izuku was still fighting off his nightmare.

"Couldn't sleep," Izuku mumbled, not wanting to admit about the nightmare.

"Bad dreams?" All Might asked. He took the bottle of milk from Izuku's hand, pouring it gently into a pot.

"Something like that," Izuku whispered. His eyes flickered towards the stairs, half afraid that Kacchan would come down. School was one thing, but ever since their failed sleepover attempt when they were six, this was first the time Izuku and Kacchan were asleep in the same building.

"Do you want to talk about it?" All Might asked gently.

Izuku shook his head. It was just an irrational fear.

"What was it like before you got One for All?" Izuku asked, letting it slip out before he can stop it.

All Might tensed before relaxing. "I was the runt of the litter so to speak. The population of Quirkless people was a bit higher back then. I wasn't the only one who was Quirkless in my neighborhood, but we stood out compared to everyone who took every chance to show off their Quirk." A whimsical look appeared on his face. "I admit I was jealous of those who had a Quirk. Even more so with the growing popularity of Pro Heroes."

He handed over a cup of warmed milk to Izuku. Izuku stared down, watching his reflection in the liquid. "Sometimes," Izuku quietly admitted, "I wonder what would have had happened if I couldn't inherit One for All from you, if I couldn't be a hero, if I had to remain Quirkless."

"Midoriya my boy," All Might said. "It's not the Quirk that makes you a hero. It's your heart. It sounds hypocritical to say that given what you and I have gone through before One for All and by having inherited One for All, but your Quirk doesn't define if you're a hero. You inherited One for All from me and you made the decision not to be a villain but a hero. You already had the potential to be a hero, the Quirk just makes it easier for you to do so."

"Oh," Izuku said quietly. He… he had never thought about it that way before.

The number of Quirkless people were dwindling. People always judged by their Quirks, the same way they judged by the color of their skin. Izuku had spent his entire life with people looking at him with pity or mocking him for the lack of his Quirk.

"When we first met, I watched you jump to rescue your friend even when you didn't have a Quirk to defend yourself," All Might said fondly. "That tells me right there that you had markings of a hero. Your heart is in the right place, my boy."

Izuku took gulped down the warm milk, feeling the warmth spread through his body. He smiled gently, feeling at easy for the first time since he woke up. "Thanks All Might."

"Anytime my boy."

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The recent chapters are starting to kill me. So many feels.

Please leave a review on your way out.


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